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Disabled Students Programs & Services (A113)
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TEN SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD NOTE-TAKING
1. Label your notes at the top of the page with your professor’s name, the course, the date,
and the title of the lecture. Think of your notes as chapters in a book, each with its own
title. Later, when you study your notes, the titles will immediately help focus your mind on
the subject of the lecture.
2. Make your notes legible. Notes taken in ink on one side of the paper can be read more
easily and for a longer period of time than pencil notes.
3. Get in the habit of always attending lectures. You will be less tempted to cut classes if you
think of each class as a chapter in a book you are reading. If you cut a class, you miss a
chapter and that interferes with comprehension.
4. Be an aggressive note-taker. Regard note-taking as hard work. Sit as close as you can to
your professors so that you will be able to hear them without straining. While you are
taking notes, maintain an alert physical attitude.
5. Start taking notes when the professor starts talking. Don’t sit back during a lecture and
wait for something to strike you. Your professors are likely to examine you on any of the
material presented in their lectures. Writing down the title of the day’s lecture and taking a
note or two on the introductory remarks will get you started so that you won’t miss
important points later.
6. Ignore distractions that interfere with concentration. Don’t think about the other students
in class, the good weather outside, or anything else but the business at hand. Instead,
concentrate on getting as many notes as possible during the class period.
7. Learn the specialized vocabulary early on so that you and the professor will be talking the
same language. Your professor will use the language of that subject, and may not always
take the time to define each term. Circle difficult words, draw a line from them out to the
margin, and label them there with a “V” for vocabulary. This is a quick note to yourself that
you must find out more about these words.
8. Learn to differentiate fact from opinion in lectures. Get the facts straight and learn them;
keep them separate from the professor’s opinion. Label your professor’s reflections and
personal comments, as well as your own reactions, by placing them in square brackets: [ ].
9. Develop your own set of symbols to identify or emphasize various items in your notes.
A circled “V” in the margin can identify an unfamiliar term
[…] square brackets can be used to set off your own ideas or the instructor’s.
A circled “A” in the margin can identify an assignment.
A circled “B” in the margin can identify books mentioned in the lecture.
A circled “P” in the margin can identify a possible paper topic that you thought of
during a lecture.
A circled “Q” in the margin can identify a question to ask at the end of class.
“See text p. …” can cross reference to passages in the textbook.
A star (*) next to material can identify material likely to be on the exam.
Underline main ideas
10. Always take notes on discussion. Good discussion leaders come into class with a list of
points that they want to make. Rather than presenting them in the form of a lecture, they
draw the information from the class by asking questions. It is your responsibility in a
discussion, to try to discover what points are being made and to record them so that you
will not forget them. If you cannot outline the discussion, at least skip a line each time the
subject is changed.
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NOTE TAKING HINTS
 Be Prepared. Do assigned reading; review previous lecture notes before class
 Use 8 ½” x 11” paper, record date and topic of each lecture
 Write legibly, recopying is a waste of time
 Use abbreviations (formal or your own inventions)
 Summarize. Use own words whenever possible
 Record anything written on board
 If lecturer refers to test, jot it down
 If you miss something, leave a space. Ask instructor or another student later
 MAJOR POINTS – Listen for them and make them STAND OUT! (Should be
written to left margin)
Watch for lecturer’s CLUES:
May state directly: “The main point is…” “I want to emphasize…”
May repeat information
May speak louder, move forward, write on board
 SUPPORTING INFORMATION – Listen for details, examples, etc. (should be
indented from major points)
Words that signal information:
Advantages
Types
Differences
Characteristics
Causes
Reasons
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